Chapter Seventeen
Moon
Austin is a fucked up mess and he might not be the ally I need in southern California. Only time will tell, but tonight’s actions were not those of a sane man. Alex put the woman in the back seat. The smell of Austin’s piss permeates the air. We might visit the asshole again sooner rather than later. The woman should be out for twelve hours. She appeared healthy with what little we saw of her. I’m not happy about the ink, and I can’t imagine she is either.
Fernandez holds a man who betrayed me, which is the only reason I went through this shit with Austin. I want Fernandez dead too, but this isn’t my territory and I respect that Austin has the right to take out Fernandez.
“He’s fucking crazy,” Alex says, disrupting my thoughts.
“As they come,” I agree.
He glances into the back seat. “Fernandez won’t like that he inked his sister.” Yeah, Alex and I have the same thinking patterns after being through so much together.
Alex has few lines he won’t cross and that forces a chuckle up my throat because obviously this is one of them. I know exactly what Austin was doing. “He marked his territory in the most basic way possible by pissing on her. Sadly he doesn’t realize he loves the woman.”
Now Alex laughs. “Yeah that would go over well with Celina,” he says sarcastically. Celina would have his nuts in a stranglehold if he tried. “You really think that’s what this is all about? Love?” His tone is doubtful.
“Considering the care he took removing her clothing and rolling her in the carpet. He didn’t want to let her go.”
“Yeah but now we’re stuck smelling his piss. Give me the word and I’ll take him out.”
“It may come to that but not yet.” I want Daniel Ramos. He helped my aunt and because of his assistance, my wife almost died. He’s the last loose end I have where my aunt is concerned and Fernandez has him. I put up a million dollar bounty but Fernandez’s price was the return of his sister. Now she’s in the back seat, covered in piss and Austin’s ink. This should go over well.
We arrive at Fernandez’s compound three hours later. The front gate is wire fencing with a barbed wire roll along the top. Stupid security measures and easily penetrable. Two armed guards stand duty. One points us to the front of the circular driveway when I give my name. Alex lifts the woman and follows behind me after we park. I fear we all reek of piss after sharing the car.
Fernandez opens the door before I knock. No one followed us to the door and there are no visible guards inside the house. His lack of security is bizarre. I take note as I’m sure Alex is doing as well. I have a feeling we’ll be tangling with Fernandez again soon if Austin doesn’t take care of business quickly.
The house is large and garish. Victor’s home is classy; whereas, this place is beyond ugly. Taxidermy animals fill every nook and only add to the nightmare that serves as this asshole’s home. There must be a hundred birds simulating flight on the walls with larger four-legged predators displayed on floor pedestals. Creepy is all I can think.
Then we have Fernandez himself. Someone could easily choke him out with the gold he wears around his throat. My hands itch to do exactly that. He’s short and stocky with a stomach paunch. His open collared shirt is unbuttoned one too many times so the gold swings through his chest hair. Mak would have a field day with sarcasm at his expense. Oily comes to mind. And deadly. The rumors about his organization aren’t good. Business partners have a way of disappearing. Victor should have taken him out years ago. Then there are the women Fernandez traffics. When I get to hell, Victor and I will have a conversation.
“Is she alive?” Fernandez demands. He isn’t looking at Alex, which is a mistake.
“She’s drugged,” Alex tells him. He didn’t want me attending this tradeoff but being in charge has its perks and this is one of them.
“Where’s Ramos?” I ask calmly even though I don’t feel calm. Something is wrong with this picture. If I’m aware of it, so is Alex. The man has a knack for sensing danger.
Fernandez’s attitude doesn’t help. He’s cocky with death lurking in his eyes as they jump around. I swear he’s on something. “If she’s alive, I’ll have Ramos delivered in fifteen minutes,” he actually whines.
“What about the women?”
He shrugs. “They’re at my clubhouse and you’ll need larger transportation to pick them up than you brought.”
I nod because it won’t be me rescuing them, but I have it set up and a friend ready to take the women to safety. “Set her down,” I tell Alex.
“No.” Fernandez grabs the carpet from his arms. “She fucking smells like piss,” he hisses. Without walking her to the nearest couch, he drops her while holding onto the end of the carpet. Her head takes a solid hit when she lands on the tile. Fernandez stares. “What the fuck did that scum do to her?” He squats over her naked body and roughly rolls her to her back. His face goes deep red in anger. “I will fucking tear him apart,” he roars and tries to rub the ink from her skin. “Fuck!” he screams and slaps her roughly on both cheeks. “Wake up, you piece of shit. Brother has a surprise for you.”
“She’ll be out for another ten hours or so,” Alex says from behind me. He’s a violent motherfucker but has a soft spot for women, and I know he doesn’t like what’s happening. I have the same soft spot but also have more calculated control. The last thing I want is Alex taking out this piece of shit here tonight before I have Ramos.
“She’ll fucking wake up,” he says and stands so he’s looming over her. There’s no time to stop him when the toe of his shiny black boot connects with her ribs.
My hand on Gomez’s arm halts him from taking out the piece of shit kicking an unconscious woman. “Handle your sister after I have Ramos. I won’t ask again.” I also won’t be leaving his sister here.
Fernandez’s furious gaze turns on me. There’s drool at the corners of his lips, which pretty much confirms the drugs. Austin had better handle Fernandez quickly. He holds too much power in northern California and he’s unstable. Hell, Austin is unstable too and I might need to put my people in both their places.
The irrational light in Fernandez’s eyes only shines brighter as his fingers pump at his sides. “You’re in my territory, asshole. No one tells me what to do here.”
I don’t need to look behind me to know Alex’s gun is in his hand. My fingers twitch to draw mine. Madison would have my ass with one of her cop sayings. If you realize you need your gun in your hand, it’s too late, I hear in her singsong voice. Fernandez turns back to his sister and kicks her in the head before we can stop him.
“Touch her again and you’re dead.” I’m calm because killing should always be done calmly.
His hand goes to the gun at his back that I spotted earlier. I move aside and a single gunshot fills the room. Fernandez’s gun flies from his hand and he screams, “My men will fucking kill you for this.”
I’m impressed Alex doesn’t kill him outright. More’s the pity. “Step away from the woman. Killing you will do your men a favor, so don’t push your luck.”
“She’s my fucking sister and she’s worthless to me like this. You can’t stop me from killing her. She’s nothing to you. I’ll help Ramos take out your whole fucking organization, you motherfucker.”
Noise at the front door makes me turn and draw my weapon. Alex covers Fernandez.
“Mr. Fernandez?” the guard asks. He’s the one who let us inside the gate.
“If you draw your weapon, your boss is dead,” I tell him. His hands go up immediately. I walk to the woman, stick the gun back in the hidden holster, and lift her carefully in my arms. She’s lifeless, which is hopefully from the drugs and not multiple hits to the head. She needs medical attention and won’t get it here. I turn to Fernandez. “I’m taking her. If you step foot in Arizona, you’re dead.”
Alex backs away and directs the guard to stand beside Fernandez. A noise at the front door and the explosion of Alex’s gun are almost simultaneous. The other guard takes a shot through the forehead and Alex’s gun snaps back to Fernandez and the remaining guard. I stride out the door and toss the woman in the back seat before getting in the driver’s seat, which I don’t normally do. I train my gun on the front door until Alex walks out.
He jumps in the passenger side of the car and I take off. The pings against the back of the car are expected but no bullets penetrate the custom window made exactly for this scenario.
An hour after we leave, Alex takes over driving. It’s five more hours to Phoenix and we aren’t stopping again. The woman sleeps the entire time. My doctor will be waiting to check her out when we’re safe inside my home. Cameras, more than two armed guards, and multiple attack dogs guarantee it.
I had Alex call my friend, Monroe, and give him the location of the women as soon as we cleared Fernandez’s property. I suspected he kept them at his clubhouse and Fernandez confirmed it. Monroe will hit the house with a team of highly trained men and see they’re safe.